Poll: Republicans get more of the blame than Democrats for a potential shutdown

If the federal government were to shutdown, Republicans would get more of the blame than Democrats, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, but a significant percentage would blame both parties equally.

By a 38%-27% margin, respondents said they would blame Republicans for a shutdown with 3 in 10 saying both parties would be to blame. The plurality of independents, 4 in 10, would blame both parties equally.

“Neither one wants to compromise,” said Debra Sudbeck, 71, an independent from Nebraska. “It’s just that Republicans want to do everything they can to antagonize the Democrats, and Democrats want to do everything they can to go against the Republicans. They’re just fighting like two little kids.”

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The finding adds a wrinkle to the pending shutdown deadline of midnight Tuesday. The government would shut down then if no deal is struck. Many in the Democratic base were upset with Senate party leader Chuck Schumer of New York because he made a last-minute deal earlier in the year to avoid a shutdown.

Marist found no clear consensus among Democrats on what to do. Democrats, Republicans and independents are all split on whether it’s generally more important to compromise to avoid a government shutdown or to stand on principle even if it means a government shutdown.

Democrats and independents leaned toward compromise, while Republicans leaned toward standing on principle.

And the divide by age is not as simple as younger voters want Democrats to stand on principle and older voters want compromise. In fact, the survey found that those in Gen Z and Baby Boomers were most likely to say to compromise, while Millennials and Gen Xers were the most likely to say stand on principle.

Trump approval hits lowest of second term, but Democrats in Congress fare even worse

President Trump’s approval sits at just 41% with 53% disapproving, the survey found. The 41% is the lowest of this term so far, for Trump, though it is well within the margin of error of his other ratings this year.

He is dragged down by the fact that just 31% of independents approve of the job he’s doing. But he continues to be buoyed by his base — 87% of Republicans still approve of Trump.

“He may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch,” said Dave Cole, 78, a Republican from Colorado. “And he’s just like George Patton in that he doesn’t always say the right things to the right people, and he doesn’t say them in the right way, but boy, he knows how to win the war. And the thing about Trump is he tells you what he’s going to do and then he does it, and I really do respect that.”

Others disagree.

“The worst president we’ve ever had,” said Harold Etkin, 78, an independent from Oakland County, Mich. “He thinks he can go after anybody he wants. He calls a national emergency to invent laws that aren’t laws. He’s just the worst president we’ve ever had.”

Despite Trump expanding his voter base in 2024, especially with Latinos and younger voters, just 36% of Latinos approve of his job as president, as does just 24% of Gen Z. The score from Gen Z is Trump’s worst of any age group by 20 points.

Notably, the intensity against Trump is very high – 46% said they strongly disapprove. That’s the highest of this term and could spell potential trouble at the ballot box in next year’s midterm elections, particularly with prices of many goods still high.

Previous Marist surveys have shown Trump’s approval slumping when it comes to his handling of the economy and tariffs.

But if Trump is unpopular, Democrats in Congress need a worse adjective that adequately describes the level of disdain voters across the political spectrum have for them.

Just 25% approve of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, while 62% disapprove. Republicans get a slightly better 35% approval with 55% disapproving.

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Strikingly, just 19% of independents approve of Democrats and only 26% approve of Republicans.

These are similar ratings to July of this year, the last time the poll asked about party approvals. But once again, Democrats score lower than Republicans largely because of Democrats.

Only 48% of Democrats approve of the job those in their own party are doing in Congress, while 77% of Republicans approve of their members of Congress.

“I think they’re spineless. I really do,” said Robert Jenkins, 59, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. “I think that they’re getting run all over by the Republicans. They just let people get away with everything.”

He urged the party to “fight back. Fight back, as far as what’s going on. Do whatever it takes, but you need to fight back.”

The survey of 1,477 adults was conducted Sept. 22-26 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points. Respondents were reached by cell phone or landline using live interviewers and by text or online, in English and in Spanish.